The movie came out on Friday the 13th of January 2023, following its predecessor, which came out early 2018. It’s described as a romcom, but I think it fits more in the dramedy category. Both are directed by Tosh Gitonga, famously known for directing the highly rated Nairobi Half Life.
The first movie focused on characters Josh and Celine amongst a friend group of singles navigating the dating life in Nairobi. However, that storyline is left hanging with this sequel that follows TK and Otis who go through a similar ‘will they or won’t they’ plot.
I had to rewatch the first movie again just to see if I was missing something.
The writing of the sequel is incredibly different from the first one, and in my opinion Silas Miami did a much better job with the dialogue and pacing of the first movie.
‘The Wedding Planner’ does have amazing cinematography though. The DOP and colourists did a fantastic job. The drone shots were amazing too.
Nairobi and Diani were depicted as the breathtaking tourist attractions that they are. The styling, makeup and costume design fit all the characters perfectly as well.
All in all, the art direction was incredible and is the best part about this movie.
My other favourite things were how Nairobi middle class culture (and dating life) were depicted. From the dialogue to the little mannerisms which Pascal Tokodi and Catherine Kamau captured perfectly. That opening scene with Otis where character development sets the tone of the movie, to the nose point TK did when the bride asked where Otis is when they were at the beach (if you know, you know) showcased this. I also really love that TK still carried on her personality from the first flick into this one despite the upgrade to a boss babe over the years. Her exchanges in Kikuyu were hilarious, especially in contest to Yoruba, plus her ability to mix drama and comedy in the same scenes was a joy to watch.
I enjoyed the cultural representation as well – the Yoruba, the Swahili and the Kikuyu. In fact, most of my favourite scenes included the two Nigerian Uncles. I genuinely laughed at all their scenes together.
Now for the REAL disconnect. (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Weddings, infidelity and babies as a cyclical plot to create storylines.
So far we have had …
[Read the full review on Shishi Wanj’s blog here: https://shishiwanj.wixsite.com/shishiwanj/post/disconnect-2-what-happened-to-the-writing]
